Tinsel ornament and method of manufacture therefor



Nuvrll 1924., 1,514,787

w. c. PROTZ TINSEL ORNAMENT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREFOR FiledApril 11 1924 IIIIII IIIIIIIIII1 lll Patented Nov. 11, 1924.

UNITED STATES, PATEN T OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. PROTZ, 0F MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN.

TINSEL ORNAMEN AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREFOR.

Application filed April 11, 1924. Serial No. 705,942.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. Pnorrz, a citizen of the United States,residing at Manitowoc, in the county of Manitowoc and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin- TinselOrnaments and Methods of Manufacture Therefor, of which the following isa specification. 1

The present invention relates to tinsel ornaments and methods of makingthe same.

More particularly the invention relates to new and attractive reflectingtinselornaments of novel shape and structure, which may be used forornamentation of costumes and Christmas trees, and for advertising,theatrical and like displays where attractive appearances at relativelylow cost are highly desirable; and to methods of making the same rapidlyin quantities, and at relatively low cost.

A11 object of the invention is the provision of novel and attractiveforms of ornament.

A further object is the provision of new and improved methods of makingthe ornaments. rapidly and in large quantities.

Further objects of the invention will appear in the following detaileddisclosure of preferred embodiments thereof.

Referring to the drawings- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic disclosure of atinsel making machine. for manufacturing the bodies of the ornaments.

Fig. 2. is a sectional view, diagrammatic in. nature, taken along lineA-A of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing an arrangement ofcutting knives for the tinsel.

Fig. 4 is an elevation showing the completed ornament.

- Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 4.

As is well known, made on machines comprising a rotatable lead 1carrying a plurality of rotatably mounted spo'ols of tinsel strands 2.The number of spools on the head may be varied, and the number ofstrands of tinsel on each spool ordinarily varies from 3 to 12 inaccordance with the rade or qualit of tinsel desired. The heaf-l isvarrange to rotate about a fixed tongue ,3 and a cord 4 is fed throughhead 1 on each side of and adjacent to tongue 3. A cord 5 and if desiredwires 7 pass over guide wheels 6 as shown, and

carry out the present invention ordinary tinsel rope is conical shapedradiating tinse each pairof cords 4 and 5 is secured to a longitudinallytraveling and twisting head, not shown, which pulls the cords 4 and 5 inthe directionof the arrows in Fig. 1, at angles with respect to eachother and simultaneously twists cords 4 and 5 and wire 7 together inwell lmown manner. The tinsel from spools 2 is laid around tongue 3 andover cords 4 at different angles as shown in Fig. l, and the movement ofcords 4 due to the angular pull of the twisting heads carries the tinselpast ide wheels 6 where the cords 5 and wire are fed parallel with thecords 4 and outside of tinsel as laid over the tinsel. Fine binding wire7 may be passed over wheels 6 or in with cords 4, and secured to thetwisting heads with cords 4 and 5. From pulleys .6, the cords 4 and 5,wires 7 when used, and the tinsel moves off the end of the tongue knives9 and 10. In the manufacture of tinsel rope, knives 9 and 10 are fixedin the central part of the tongue. However, to these knives are carriedon a movable support diagrammatically indicated by 11(Fig. 3) and may berotated by means of shafts 12 and 13,

through gears 14 and 15 and driven by a fixed pulley 16 through aslidingykey connection, or in any other suitable manner. Suitable meansfor giving the support 11 and the rotating knives 9 and 10, a travelingmovement across the end of tongue 3 are provided, such for example as bya spring 17 and cam 18 carried by a rotating shaft 19. The movement ofthe tinsel ofl' tongue 3 into-the knives causes cutting of the tinsel,and as the tinsel is cut, the rotation on the twisting heads causes thecut tinsel strands to be twisted between cords 4 and 5 and wires 7. Thetwisting action issubstantially is out due to the pull or tensionexerted by and the rotation of the twisting heads and as the movementproceeds beyond the point of cutting, the bound in portions of tinselsimply rotate.

of the twist are regulated so that a substanconfined to the points wherethe tinsel The speed of operation and y tially uniform distributionofprojeotin tinselstrips occurs, as shown in 1g. 5, an the travel of thecutting knives is so regulated that two strings of connectedsubstantially l bodies, ap-

pearing substantially circular incross sec tion ale produced. One of thestrings is drawn from the machine with the large ends of the conescoming out first, and the other string is reversed with the small endscomin out first. I

Vhen the twisting heads approach the end of their longitudinal travel,the machine is stopped, the strings of conical bodies are removed, theheads are brought to the front of the machine, and new strings arestarted.

The cones are then severed into sections 20, and the ends of thesections are given .a finished appearance, and any loose ends of cords 4and 5 and wires 7 are secured by twisting the ends of the projectingtinsel strips at. 21 to form an attractive point and at 22 to form aconvenient and attractive I end for securing the ornament in position.

As the tinsel strips comprise a metal base, such for example as co per,this twisting of the ends is secure enoug for ordinary usage.

If desired, however, a securing of wire of suitable material may be tiedaround the twisted ends'21 and22. p I

The tinsel strips utilized may be surfaced with silvery reflectingmaterial, or mayhave various colored reflecting surfaces. The radiatingstrips of tinsel arebound in a manner to assume various reflectingangles and the center made up of cords 4 and 5 and wire 7 is flexible.The result is a streamer of conical shape and a bright shimmering orscintillating appearance which will sway in aentle breeze, or withany'movement of a ho y to which it is attached.

Various attractive effects may be pro-' Qduced by mingling tinsel ofdifferent colors with silvery reflecting-tinsel. This is accomplishedeffectively and uniformly by-winding the colored and the silveredstrands on spools 2 so that each spool carries the desired proportion ofeach kind of strand. The cone bodies produced in this manner are massesof intermingled projecting reflecting tinsel of various colors, and thesilvered strips reflect back light from the "colored strips giving am'ottled scintillating and shimmering reflecting effect of colors and"bright silvery reflections.

Having described and shown preferred embodiments of the invention. what'is declaimed as new is:

1. An ornamental structure compr1s.ng a

central core, a substantially conical shaped body made up ofa pluralityof short projec-tmg tinsel reflecting strips secured to said centralvcore, and a tip for said conical shaped body comprising strips ofreflectin tinsel twisted around theend of said centra core. I

2. An ornamental structure comprising a central core, a substantiallyconical shaped body made up of a plurality of short projecting tinselreflecting strips secured to said central core, a securing end for saidtinsel ornaments comprising strips of reflecting tinsel twisted around asection of said cen tral core projecting from the large end of saidconical body; I

3. The method of making tinsel ornaments which comprises the steps offormin a pair. of complementary shaped strings 0 tinsel made up of acentral core with regu-' larly varying lengths of reflecting tinselstrips projecting therefrom, severing complementary sections of saidstrings, and" finsired to be secured by Letters Patent andishing the'ends of 'said' severed sections, to.

form ornamental tips and securing ends therefor.

-1.'An ornamental structure comprising a central flexible core made upof'a plurality of strands of material, and a plurality of short stripsof reflecting tinsel of regularly

